A vape pen exploded in a man's face, and firefighters found his body at home

A vape pen exploded in a man's home in St. Petersburg and may have caused his death, authorities said.

St. Petersburg Fire Rescue on Saturday went to a house in the 300 block of 19th Avenue North after reports of a fire, according to a report by Spectrum Bay News 9.

Once inside, firefighters found the body of 38-year-old Tallmadge D'Elia.

The vape pen exploded in his face as he was using it, authorities said. He was found with injuries to his face.

Vape pens "have a lithium battery and they start to generate heat,” Lt. Steve Lawrence, a spokesman with St. Pete Fire Rescue, told the TV station. “In this case, we believe that exploded.”

The explosion caused a small fire.

The medical examiner will do an autopsy to determine D'Elia's cause of death. It's unclear whether he was killed by the explosion or the fire.

This story was originally published May 6, 2018 at 2:01 PM with the headline "A vape pen exploded in a man's face, and firefighters found his body at home."